I couldn't have asked for a better first week as a Mrs. We spent the week in beautiful St. Thomas!
During our week.......
We were giddy with excitement.....
We stayed in a BEAUTIFUL place
We hung out with these guys...
We saw some pretty sunsets!
We dressed up!
We took the infamous ring picture! :)
We saw some of the bluest water!
We spent some time on the beach...
We ate some fabulous food!
We went on a Catamaran dinner cruise!
We talked about our wedding and dreamed about our future!
We were our goofy selfs!
We got to see this most days...
We dug our toes in the sand....
We got a little sunburned!
We saw birds dive bomb.... :) lol
We got to know each other better
We got a little artsy!
We had some fabulous milkshakes at.....
We spent our first week as Mr. and Mrs. Kittrell and loved every second of being together!
It was such an amazing week and we were so thankful to be there! Now, we are back and settling into our home together! It has been a busy couple of weeks but we are most definitely enjoying married life so far!
There is just so much to be thankful for not only today but every single day. The Lord has been so gracious to me and continued to bless me more and more.
I couldn't help but think of the hymn, "Great is Thy Faithfulness" this morning..
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided--
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
He truly is so faithful and I am so grateful that His mercies are new every morning!
I hope that your day is full of food, family, rest, and remembering all that the Lord has done for you!
As I sit here, having just arrived back from an amazing week in St. Thomas with my husband, I am overwhelmed. I am full of so much gratitude for all of the people that made our wedding day so special and so perfect! I promise to have a more detailed post of each part of the day and the honeymoon very soon! Bear with me as this week will be one of gifts, returns, exchanges, traveling, Thanksgiving, thank you notes, settling in, etc. However, I'd like to thank a few very special people who made the details of the day perfect!
Our families: Wow! We have so much that we should thank you for. You have been such a huge support and encouragement to us. We don't deserve all that you have given us. You have taught us so much through the lives that you have lived. Thank you for your patience during the last months of planning. We love y'all!
Our wedding party: My gracious. What amazing friends you all are. We didn't deserve all of the sweet things you said at the rehearsal dinner! You were part of our wedding because you have been such an encouragement to us and such precious friends! Thank you for sharing our day!
Alisa and Jess: Ok. The photographer was a huge decision for me. I looked at several but in all honesty, once I saw you there was no competition. Now, I've only seen bridal portraits and a couple of sneak peeks but I have NO DOUBT that I will be forever grateful that you two photographed my wedding. Thank you for capturing our day and being so amazing and SO MUCH FUN to work with! Thank you for loving "the perfect light!" :)
(This is all I have seen so far but how fabulous?? Right!)
Mrs. Maryanne and Fancy Affairs Catering: The food was unbelievable! Thank you for caring about every detail and for using your gifts! It not only tasted fabulous but was also beautifully displayed! So grateful for you and your friendship!
Elisabeth Epperson: Sweet girl, I haven't met you but I feel like I know you. This talented senior is the girl responsible for the adorable monogrammed cookies. I am thankful I found your blog! You are so talented and I hope I get to meet you very soon!!
Jeff and Chris: Thank you for being my own personal paparazzi on my wedding day! You started early and stayed late. Our video is going to be ballin. No doubt! Y'all were so great!!
Belle Bouquet and DJ's By The Bay: These vendors were so easy to work with and did a phenomenal job! Although I doubt you read my blog I wanted to give some credit where it belonged!
Anthony and Eric: Thank you for using your gifts. You did such a great job with the music at our ceremony. I know being outside presented some challenges but it sounded so great! Loved hearing the worship before the ceremony and loved walking back down the aisle to, "To God Be the Glory!"
Uncle Lance, Aunt Amy, Palm, and Liv: Thank you for each having a part in our day! We LOVE you all so much! Thank you for driving to Tampa and making that sacrifice! So grateful for your family!
Guests: Thank you for taking time out of your Saturday to watch us say I Do. We are so appreciative and thankful for each of you! We have amazing friends and family!
Chris: Thank you for putting so much thought into our ceremony. It was absolutely our favorite part of the day. Thank you or glorifying the Lord with the words you said! Thank you (and JULIE!) for pouring into our lives over the last few years and even more in the last few months!
Lou's Crew: Oh my! Thank you for your creativity and your willingness to serve. I am so thankful for all of you. Thanks for everything from burlap curtains and chalkboards to your love and excitement for me! LOVE Y'ALL!! I am so undeserving of all that you did for me! (Julie, Catherine, Mangs, Linds, Mom)
Brett: Thank you for being the one waiting at the end of the aisle. Thank you for the huge smile when you first saw me an the tears as I made it to the end of the aisle! Thank you for loving me well and making me the happiest girl in the world. I love you husband!
I am sure there are others I have left out and I apologize. Our day was so incredible and everything I had ever pictured!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
I promise to be back with more detailed posts very soon! :)
She has been so so so so so incredibly busy!! October has been a whirlwind and oh my gracious it is almost over! Let's have a little update shall we? First of all, on the wedding front they have had several showers since the last time we spoke.
Here we are at Brett's church shower which was one full of so many sweet people. We felt so loved!
My sweet hostesses for my next shower. THANK YOU Mrs. Kitty, Annie, and Essie! :) What a fun day!
So many sweet sweet friends and women who have been such role models and mentors in my life!
My mother-in-law and mother :)
Grandmother and I
We have also had the bridesmaids brunch. We decided that the day before the wedding would be full of craziness and didn't want it to be rushed! We wanted it to be a special day!
This angel came to town last weekend!
The whole group!
My sweet bridesmaids minus Kat! (We missed you so so much!!!)
The sweetest flower girl there ever was! :)
I have also taken bridal portraits and done a whole lot of planning the last few weeks! OH MY GOODNESS! ARE WE REALLY 15 DAYS AWAY????? :) I AM SO EXCITED!
Now, moving on to another update. 2 weeks ago today I got a job! Talk about a crazy time to get a job! Seriously, things are crazy! I am teaching first grade and really enjoying it! It is a lot of work but I cannot explain what a blessing and answer to prayer this job. God has been providing for us in so many ways! We are so grateful and so ready to start our life together!
Sorry for the lack of posting. I cannot promise that in the next couple of weeks I will be posting frequently but promise that after the wedding I will have more updates and posts about honeymoon, our house, wedding, teaching, etc.! Perhaps there will be a few more posts before I become Mrs. Kittrell! As for now, I am enjoying my time with my family and the last days before get married!
About a year and a half ago I began reading this blog about a girl my age who lived in Africa. This summer, I saw this video after following her story for that long. October seemed so far off and I couldn't wait to get my hands on her book.
Well, look what came in the mail yesterday...Thank you mom for pre ordering it!
(yes, I know it is backwards....)
I finished it in a day. As I sit here and type, on my very own laptop, I just got out of a shower that I was able to warm and cool to my comfort. I have eaten three meals today, and not to mention I had a choice of what I would like. I am sitting in a house with electricity and on a comfortable bed. I am not wearing the same thing I wore yesterday. I will go to a wedding shower tomorrow and probably receive dozens of presents that I don't necessarily "need".
Now, it is easy to read a story and be moved and convicted. It can cause me to feel guilty and can cause someone to think that their responsibility is to sell all that they have and move to Africa or some other third world country. Seriously, as I read, I felt a million emotions. I am in awe of Katie Davis and how she is living her life. I felt guilt for the comforts of my life. I felt sad for those that she takes care of and all of the ones that she cannot take care of. I felt convicted that I hold on so tightly to things in my life that do not matter. I was encouraged by her faith, her prayer life, and in general the way that she serves and lives.
No, I am not packing my bags and leaving this life in the states. I am still planning my wedding and still going to get married on November 12th. Let's face it, this is where I am in life and I am at this place, in this stage of life for a reason. God has orchestrated my steps and knew that I would be here for such a time as this.
Let me tell you what I was encouraged to do. First of all, as I mentioned, I was convicted about the way that I hold onto my comforts, my things, my relationships, etc. Why? NONE of this belongs to me but only to God. This world is not my home and nothing that is a worldly possession will last. I am praying that I will stop clinging so tightly and praying that I will give the Lord control...(which He already has anyways)
I have been more and more encouraged to wake up daily thanking Him for a new day to live for Him and also asking Him to direct my day and asking Him what I can do to serve and bring glory to His name. Right now that might be something simple like going to an elementary school to substitute for a day. It might mean choosing to not get frustrated over a silly detail while wedding planning. I may need to remember to be more considerate of the people in my life and remembering to thank them for all that they are doing. Or, it might mean taking extra time to pray for the people in my life, for my future marriage, and for the world. I don't know what my days look like but the Lord does and He will direct my days.
As I read this book, I couldn't help but think about my two weeks that I spent in Africa. Let me just say, that I was given deluxe treatment in comparison to Katie's daily life. Yes, I went to slums. I smelled the smells and saw the sights of complete desolation and poverty. However, I remember seeing the biggest moths in the shower, a gecko on my wall as I was turning out the light to sleep, and my feet never seeming clean. I remember at times thinking, wow, this is huge sacrifice. WHAT? I did nothing. Sure, the things that I saw did change my perspective and my life. I loved on those children and they truly stole my heart. However, I remember thinking that I had a comfortable life back in the states. I loved my time in Africa but could not imagine myself making that my lifestyle. Isn't that crazy? I mean, if my Lord told me to go to Africa, I should, without hesitation, go. I hope that I would. I truly don't feel that this is the calling on my life right now but there are times that I hope I do get to spend some time in another country.
I am not trying to convict anyone. Honestly, as I read about Katie's life I realized that being convicted was okay but action needed to follow. I certainly don't have millions of dollars to donate. I am not in a place where I have felt God calling me to see everything and move to the other side of the world. However, I can pray. The only way that I am going to truly see the power of prayer is to be consistent. This doesn't just mean that I pray for Katie and Amazima Ministries. It means to pray for those needs right around me. There are plenty of ways for me to serve and plenty of needs that I can meet. I am praying that the Lord change my heart and make me aware of needs. I pray that I wake up daily and say, "Lord, my day is Yours. How can I serve You and those around me?"
I would encourage you to buy Katie's book. Her story is an encouraging one. She seems to be a precious soul and I cannot wait to meet her whether here or in heaven!
